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Edgewater mural depicting storied past knocked down

By Austin BriggsYourHub Reporter

Posted:
02/20/2014 12:01:00 AM MST

Updated:
02/24/2014 05:14:09 PM MST

A jogger sprints past the iconic Edgewater mural on the wall of the Joyride Brewery in Edgewater on Feb. 17, 2014. Joyride Brewery is removing the iconic mural adorning its building to install garage doors. (Seth McConnell, YourHub)

A sprawling mural that has long been a symbol of Edgewater's vibrant past is being knocked down in order for garage doors to be installed in a planned brewpub on the corner of 25th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard.

Revised Edgewater building codes require storefronts to have 70 percent transparency, and the stucco facade that once housed Ace Pawn isn't conducive to attracting customers, said Grant Babb, who is starting Joyride Brewing Company with business partners Brent Smith and Dave Bergen.

A bicyclist rides past the iconic Edgewater mural on the wall of the Joyride Brewery in Edgewater on Feb. 17, 2014. Joyride Brewery is removing the iconic mural adorning its building to install garage doors. (Seth McConnell, YourHub)

"This building was never really designed to have a brewery," Babb said. "We wanted to keep the mural because of its history and tradition, but we were between a rock and a hard spot, and so was the city."

The building has been vacant and collecting dust since 2011. Extensive remodeling is underway, and future plans include the addition of an upstairs patio deck where patrons will be able to look over Sloan's Lake to the east and the peaks of the Rocky Mountains to the west. Construction and permit delays have pushed the opening from December 2013 to early summer of this year, Babb said.

The mural lovingly depicted Manhattan Beach in its heyday between 1881 and 1908 when it housed what was the first amusement park west of the Mississippi River. A fire destroyed most of the park in 1908 and it was rebuilt and renamed Luna Park, and it operated until 1914.

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In the painting, gawkers surround one of the park's largest attractions — Roger the Elephant — as Victorian women in their Sunday best stroll around the lake and kids play with toy boats in an area that Denver residents would flock to for fun and relaxation, said Edgewater historian Connie Fox.

Popular attractions included a roller coaster, dance hall, Ferris wheel, acrobats, a man who walked on ceilings and exhibits displaying more than 40 animals.

"Hordes of people would come to Manhattan Beach from Denver and end up crossing what is now Sheridan to spend money," Fox said. "It was a huge part of Edgewater evolving and developing into a vibrant community."

Babb, who is an Edgewater resident and member of the Edgewater Business Group, said a 2010 poll asking residents what business they would like to see in town. They put a brewpub in the top spot.

With the success of the Highlands neighborhood in Denver spilling into Edgewater and a $300 million planned development south of Sloan's Lake that will consist of apartments, restaurants, shops and a hotel, the area is poised for a renaissance, Babb said.

"The area around Sloan's Lake is really starting to create its own identity, and Edgewater is absolutely bleeding for a brewery," he said.

Edgewater city manager HJ Stalf said housing prices in Edgewater have gone up "drastically" in the last 18 months, an indication the small city is becoming a desirable place to live, which also bodes well for new businesses in the area.

"People have apparently discovered us," Stalf said. "Highlands has gone off the charts in terms of housing prices, which makes Edgewater and Wheat Ridge enticing to those with sticker shock."

The group wants to focus on beer, so a restaurant won't be part of the package any time soon. Joyride will feature a wide selection of beer, with six varieties on tap starting on opening day — a kolsch, amber, pale ale, IPA, milk stout and a rotating seasonal brew.

The brewhouse will feature a 10-barrel system, all of which will be visible from the bar.

In keeping with Manhattan Beach's history, Roger the Elephant performing a tusk stand on a tricycle will adorn the brewery's logo. At some point, the brewery will create a beer that is 3.2 percent alcohol and can it on-site through a mobile contractor.

"That way people can buy a six-pack of cans and legally take it across the street to Sloan's Lake, just like they did a hundred years ago," Babb said.

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